Blood Alcohol Calculator

The BAC (blood alcohol content) Calculator

This blood alcohol content or BAC, for short, calculator can estimate your blood alcohol levels. Metabolism, body fat percentage and medication are other factors that can affect the rate of absorption by the body, and these are not considered in this calculation.

Blood alcohol content (BAC) or blood alcohol level is the concentration of alcohol in the bloodstream. It is usually measured as mass per volume. For example, a Blood alcohol content BAC of 0.04% means 0.4% (permille) or 0.04 grams of alcohol per 100 grams of individual’s blood. Use the Health Surgeon BAC Calculator for informational purposes only, and not to drink and drive or drink and work.

Important Note: There is no BAC calculator that is 100% accurate.  This is due to the number of factors that come into play regarding the consumption and alcohol processing rates of different people. Factors include the gender of the drinker (biologic, not identity), their differing metabolism rates, various health issues,  and the combination of medications and supplements that might be taken by the drinker, drinking frequency, amount of food in the stomach and small intestine and when it was eaten, elapsed time, and other factors. The best that can be done is a rough estimation of the bloodstreams alcohol content or the BAC level based on known inputs.

Every state in the U.S. has a legal Blood Alcohol (BAC) limit of 0.005% or 0.08%, (depending on the state you are driving in). Most states also have lower legal BAC limits for young and inexperienced drivers, professional drivers and commercial drivers. Sentences for drunk driving include imprisonment, large fines, lengthy drivers license suspension and/or revocation, house arrest, community service, DUI schools, alcohol treatment programs, vehicle forfeiture and ignition interlock restrictions.

Impaired driving as a problem:

• Among drivers with BAC levels of 0.08% or higher involved in fatal crashes in 2016, nearly three in 10 were between 25 and 34 years of age (27%). The next two largest groups were ages 21 to 24 (26%) and 35 to 44 (22%).
• In 2016, 10,497 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for 28% of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
• Every day, 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver according to the CDC.
• Of the 1,233 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2016, 214 (17%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.
• In 2016, more than 1 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s one percent of the 111 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year (figure below).
• The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

What safety steps can individuals take?

Make plans so that you don’t have to drive while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs and do it before you start consuming either. For example:

• Before drinking, designate a non-drinking driver within your group.
• Do not ever let your friends drive while impaired even slightly.
• If you have been drinking alcohol and/or using drugs, get a ride home, use a ride share service, or call a taxi or Lyft or Uber.
• If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, remind your guests to plan ahead and designate a  driver that will not be drinking or using drugs. Make sure you have plenty of alcohol-free beverages, and make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.

Calculator Source: Computing a BAC Estimate. Driving under the Influence October 1992. U.S. Department of Transportation

Drinking alcohol increases your risk for liver problems. If you think you or someone you know might have a problem with alcohol, take the alcohol abuse quiz.

References
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts 2016 data: alcohol-impaired driving. U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC; 2017 Available at: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812450External
Blincoe LJ, Miller TR, Zaloshnja E, Lawrence BA. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The economic and societal impact of motor vehicle crashes, 2010. (Revised). U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC; 2015. Available at: https://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs/812013.pdfCdc-pdfExternal.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Department of Justice (US). Crime in the United States 2016: Uniform Crime Reports. Washington (DC): FBI; 2017. Available at https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/tables/table-18External.
Compton RP, Berning A. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts Research Note: drugs and alcohol crash risk. U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC; 2015 Available at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nti/pdf/812117-Drug_and_Alcohol_Crash_Risk.pdfCdc-pdfExternal.
Berning A, Compton R, Wochinger K. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Results of the 2013–2014 national roadside survey of alcohol and drug use by drivers. U.S. Department of Transportation. Washington, DC; 2015. Available at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/812118-roadside_survey_2014.pdfCdc-pdfExternal.